Lie To Me
by Squeeka Cuomo
Summary: It had been a week since Sookie’s life had fallen apart. Just seven days since her world had come crashing down around her in a flurry of ancient grudges and fairy blood. - Contains spoilers for "Dead & Gone".


**Lie To Me**

It had been a week since Sookie's life had fallen apart. Just seven days since her world had come crashing down around her in a flurry of ancient grudges and fairy blood.

And now she was stuck trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered existence.

Sam, in an effort to make up for the spat they'd had, had told her to take off as much time as she wanted. To Sookie, the offer had felt like overcompensation (an old word-of-the-day calendar entry), because even though there'd been no official acknowledgement of the fight, they'd forgiven one another in time. That or the pettiness of their argument had been swallowed up by everything that had taken place afterwards. In light of what had happened, the were and shifter revelation, the war, Tray, Claudine, and Crystal, Sam calling her idiotic just hadn't seemed to matter anymore.

The second time her boss had come to visit, he'd brought her a hamburger from Sonic. She'd thanked him and watched as he'd taken it out of the white paper bag and set it on the small coffee table in front of her. She'd been grateful up until when he'd mentioned her taking off time from work yet again. And then, she'd become fed up.

Because instead of just offering her the time off, Sam had promised to pay her.

At first, she'd wanted to say no, that he couldn't afford to pay her for a job she wasn't doing. But then she'd shut her mouth.

No, Sam wasn't the richest guy in the world, but Merlotte's was doing well and so were the apartments he rented out. And Sookie couldn't even afford a fresh load of gravel to level out her very uneven driveway. Plus there was the fact that she'd filled in for Sam while he was gone, effectively doubling her hours.

The double shifts had Sookie running ragged, giving her a new found respect for her boss. And before he'd even come home she'd promised herself that she would never bring up being paid for that. Even though she _really_ needed the money, Sam was her friend (one of the few she had) and she wanted to be there for him. She just didn't have it in her to demand money for the extra work after his mother had been shot.

But there he'd been, offering to pay her to not come into work, and Sookie'd soothed her conscious by deciding that he wasn't paying her to take a break. He was paying her for work she'd already done.

Even if he didn't know it.

Sookie had known that Sam meant well, that he was just worried about her and that, on top of that, he was still trying to make up for their fight. But since the fairies had returned to their own world, leaving her bruised and broken, the realities of what had happened had begun to settle in. And as people had tried to shower her with attention, Sookie had found that her patience for other people was lacking.

Before she'd been captured and tortured, she'd been able to deal with just about anything. It had been part of what made her so great at her job. She could handle the resident drunks and weekend meat heads. She could even handle hearing what everyone was thinking. But now she could barely deal with Sam and his fussing.

As he'd begun to open ketchup packets for her fries, she'd miraculously managed to calm herself down, once again promising her boss that she wouldn't rush back to work before Dr. Ludwig said she was ready.

That had been a week ago.

And for Sookie, those days had passed in a haze of sadness and pain.

Tray's funeral had taken place immediately; Bud Dearborn had released his body only a day after the search on his home. Sadly though, instead of being remembered as a friendly mechanic or hero, he'd be remembered as a shifter who was involved with drugs.

Amelia and she had attended the burial but had hung to the back. Amelia had said she didn't want to sit in the area reserved for family and friends. Not because his ex-wife and son were there, but because she couldn't handle the fact that he was being buried as a murdered drug dealer.

The next day, Amelia and she had held a memorial service of their own in the backyard. Sookie had worn the dress Claudine had bought for her in New Orleans, and Amelia had worn one of Tray's large t-shirts. She'd kept it to sleep in after the first time she'd spent the night at his house.

It had been an appropriately subdued affair with just the two of them in attendance. While Amelia had chosen to sit in the cool grass so she could cast a few spells in honor of their dead, Sookie had pulled over one of the lawn chairs they'd set out to encourage spring to hurry itself along.

Though bright, the day had been chilly, and Sookie had been glad she'd put on the red coat Eric had given her despite the fact that it covered Claudine's gift. Even as she'd hugged the cranberry colored fabric to her body, Sookie had watched her roommate shiver in the grass, her legs, feet, and arms bare.

Sookie had wanted to offer her a blanket, but she hadn't. She had known that Amelia had chosen to wear the t-shirt and only the t-shirt in honor of Tray. And she wouldn't try and take that away from her.

No matter how cold she looked.

Together they'd mourned their losses.

A fairy godmother and cousin.

A friend and boyfriend.

And as they'd cried and shared stories about Tray and Claudine, Sookie had felt as if she were saying goodbye to a part of herself as well. A part she didn't think she'd ever recover from the loss of.

After their humble ceremony was over, Sookie had put the lawn chair back where she'd gotten it from and made her way towards the house. She had known that Amelia would come in when she was ready, and she'd been content to have the house to herself for a while

For the most part, she'd spent the rest of the week at home resting and getting better. Eric's blood had healed the majority of her injuries, but she hadn't drunk enough to be healed completely.

In retrospect, it was probably a good thing she hadn't. As it was, their bond was extremely strong. Even Eric had admitted that he didn't know what would happen if she were to drink from him again. And Sookie didn't even want to ponder what that could possibly mean. And so, she was left to complete the rest of her recuperation the old fashioned way.

In other words, the human way.

The bite marks on her thighs, partially healed by Eric, were coming along on their own. The redness was fading to pink, and instead of deep gouges, the marks looked like patches of wrinkly, puckered skin. The rest of her was sore and bruised from head to toe. Her neck and wrists were some of the most awful looking places with their deep black and purple bruises from when she'd been tied up and strangled. Of course, there were countless other bumps and scrapes, but those were the worst.

Or… they were the ones that bothered her the most anyway.

There was no way to cover them up unless she was to wear a turtleneck with long sleeves or a scarf and gloves. She'd tried every combination that her wardrobe would allow, but each disguise looked worst than the last. Even though they were things she'd worn countless times before, the clothes now made her look as if she were trying to cover something up. And even though she was, Sookie felt as if she were only drawing more attention to the injuries than she would if she'd just left them uncovered.

She'd spent the majority of her time off inside of her house hiding. Hiding her body. Hiding from the things that no longer just went bump in the night. Sookie hid herself away from everyone and everything. Even her guests were limited to a few certain people.

Sam stopped by everyday, always making sure to bring something with him: food, flowers, candy. It didn't matter what; he always had something for her.

Besides Sam though, only a few other people were allowed to visit. Tara had stopped by, bringing a pretty light blue sweater with iridescent sequins on it in a fancy gift bag for Sookie. She'd stayed for an hour, and they'd talked about her pregnancy and life with J.B.. Mercifully, Tara hadn't brought up Eric's version of a quickie wedding or anything that had happened after she'd been kidnapped. But the girl talk, in all of its normalcy, had felt so foreign, so out of her league. After all that had happened, Sookie almost felt as if she'd lost that part of herself, and she'd relished having it back.

If only for a little while.

Jason had stopped by once after Niall had said his goodbyes, but it had been a short and uncomfortable half an hour. She'd tried to make polite conversation, but Jason was so angry, so distant. And really, she couldn't blame him. For the past few months they'd barely been on speaking terms and now his wife and friend were dead. And on top of that, he'd just found out that he was part-fairy. As hard as things were for her, Sookie could barely imagine what her brother must have been feeling. And as much as she'd tried to be nice, she had been relieved when he'd finally left. Calvin and Alcide had stopped by as well, but she'd only spent a few minutes with each of them, choosing to talk on the porch rather than invite them inside. She had had no desire to spend any more time with them than was necessary.

But for as many people who did come and visit, there were a couple of faces she didn't see. And while some of them surprised her, others did not.

Bill hadn't come by, but that wasn't a shock. Last she'd heard, the silver was still coursing through his veins from Neave's dagger and bite. His face, twisted in agony, continued to swim through her mind. And the terrible vision of her first lover crippled, possibly beyond repair, had grown even more potent after Niall's cryptic message about a vampire loving her.

Pam and Eric, however, were another story.

Neither had stopped by.

Or even called.

Sookie was used to them only showing up when they wanted or needed something. But she'd come to think of Pam as, not a friend, but the next closest thing a human and vampire could be together. And Eric… well he was supposed to be her vampire husband. She'd expected him to stop by, if not because she loved him, but because of some sacred (and secret) vampire caveat or other.

And if not that, she'd expected him to stop by because well… just _because_.

But as much as not hearing from the two of them bothered her, Sookie tried to brush off their lack of visiting as much as she possibly could. And a large part of that had included Sookie trying to pull her life back together one piece at a time.

The first few days after the war had ended, Sookie had stayed home, comfortably cocooned in memories of Gran and her love. The idea had seemed so wonderful that she'd even thought about hiding away forever, never letting anyone see the marks that were sure to become scars.

But Sookie had known that her grandmother wouldn't want her to hide away. Gran would have scolded her for even thinking about staying in bed for longer than she had to. And just as soon as she had begun to wrap herself up in the wonderful idea of staying inside her nice safe home for the rest of her life, she had heard her grandmother tsk-ing in her head. And at once, the bubble she'd been inflating in her mind burst so loudly that Sookie had sworn she could hear it echoing through her living room.

And so, because she'd known what her grandmother would have thought if she knew she'd been moping around, Sookie had forced herself to go out a few times. Leaving the comfort and safety of her home had been difficult, but she'd done it.

The first time Sookie had ventured out of her home had been to attend Tray's funeral service. She'd skipped the wake, deciding that she wouldn't be able to stand among the shifter's friends and family, most of them members of the supernatural community, knowing that he had died because of her. Sookie had known that Tray had been at her house to protect Amelia mainly, but she wouldn't have needed protecting at all if it hadn't been for Sookie.

As it was, the funeral had been a very trying affair, one that she almost hadn't made it through. It had been held only two days after the war had ended and Tray's body had been discovered. And Sookie, though partially healed, hadn't been up to par. Her face still had bore the shadows of partially healed bruises that looked weeks old. The wounds had been so deep that the copious amounts of Eric's blood she'd drank hadn't been able to heal her completely.

Aside from the bruises, Sookie had been just a mess. Her walking had been slow and hampered by a slight limp. And even though the majority of the swelling that had covered her body was gone, that hadn't made her feel or look any better. A fact that the majority of the mourners had noticed.

Even though she and Amelia had stayed towards the back for the service, almost everyone had seemed to take a moment to stare at her.

Alcide, Clavin and Tanya included.

As murmurs of what had happened to her had begun to ripple through the crowd, it had been Alcide who'd had the presence of mind to come up a story about her having been the victim of a nasty hit and run. Sookie hadn't thanked him, but from the look on his face, it had been obvious that he knew she was grateful.

After that, she had only left her house once during the past week. And that was for a quick trip to the video store. Sookie hadn't really felt like going out, but she knew she needed to. She was getting far too comfortable with staying tucked away indoors.

Before setting a single foot in the tiny shop, Sookie had decided against anything with war, violence, murder, torture, vampires, or anything remotely supernatural. Her long list of criteria had severely limited the selection, but she hadn't cared. In then end, Sookie had decided to go with _Lady and the Tramp,_ because she'd watched it over and over with Gran the summer she'd had the mumps. Together they'd curled up on the couch with a large afghan and a bowl of popcorn. After the fifth time through the movie, they'd started playing out the different characters. And no matter how many different parts they'd played, Sookie had always been Lady, and Gran had always been the Tramp.

The other time she left the house was that morning to make a trip to Wal-mart. Sookie had no real reason for going; there were enough sympathy casseroles and pity cakes in her kitchen to last a month. So even though she didn't need anything, she decided to go to the store simply to browse, to get out amongst people. Sookie decided to go there instead of Merlotte's or any of the other smaller local stores because of how big it was. Anywhere else in Bon Temps and she was sure to run into at least five people she knew. But the Wal-mart, located on the outskirts of town, was large and anonymous since it was also the nearest store for a few of the neighboring communities (like Hotshot). Of course, in a one Wal-mart town like Bon Temps it was still likely she'd run into someone she knew, but it wasn't _as_ likely.

When she walked through the sliding doors, Sookie started in fright at the whooshing sound of the sliding glass panels. She knew good and well that Neave and Lochlean were dead and gone, but part of her still expected them to pop out of nowhere and pick up where they'd left off. As she tried to calm herself down, small children laughed while their mothers looked at her cautiously before pulling their kids away and into the store.

Sookie was used to the people of Bon Temps thinking she was crazy… just not because of her reactions to sliding doors. A quick stab of anger and heart ache shot through her as she watched the last woman with a sticky two-year-old rush away. And it was then she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass.

Bruised and slightly puffy, her eyes looked terrified, haunted. It was then that she understood why the woman had reacted the way she did. Deep down, Sookie knew that she'd have done the same exact thing if she'd seen some looking beaten and horrified. Sadder than before, she ducked her head and rushed through the doors faster than was necessary, grabbing a shopping cart as she did so.

There was no real reason for Sookie to take a basket, there was nothing she needed, but she wanted it for comfort. She wanted to hold onto it and lean on it as she walked through the store. It was a security blanket in the shape of a large, mesh basket with wheels and Sookie had felt as if she wouldn't be able to make it through the store without it.

Gripping the handle with extra force, Sookie walked through the second set of automatic doors, but that time she was prepared for the noise of the sliding glass, and she kept her head held stubbornly high. She'd barely walked five feet into the store before running into Terry Bellefluer. There wasn't time to run and hide even if she wanted to. The Vietnam vet looked up from the shelf of mini-donuts he was scanning at the sound of her cart. For as long as she'd known him, Terry had been ultra sensitive to small noises.

His world-weary eyes locked on hers instead of staring at the fading bruises on her cheeks and the faint marks that circled her neck like some macabre choker. While she'd mostly stayed away from prolonged eye contact with anyone for the past few days, she found this strangely… soothing.

Terry wasn't looking at the after affects of her "car accident". No, he was looking at _her_.

And as they stood staring at one another, seeing beyond their respective exteriors, Sookie was positive that Terry _knew_.

He knew that she hadn't been in a car accident. And he knew that she'd been wounded and scarred to her very core. She could see it in his eyes and rather than bother her, she found it comforting because… He _knew_. He _understood_. And that meant more to her than she could say.

In the end, it was Terry who broke the silence. "Hey there, Sookie." His voice was gentler than she'd ever heard it before. From anyone else, the change in demeanor would have struck her as patronizing, but coming from Terry, it wasn't. Not at all. And because of that, it meant so much to her. Up until then, they'd always had a bond, but this was different, stronger.

"Hi, Terry." Sookie wanted to step closer to the man, Not to hug him, or even touch him, but just to be near someone who truly understood what she'd been through. But Terry had never been overly touchy-feely, and despite their sudden closeness, she didn't know how he'd react to having her that close to him. "So… how have you been?" She tried to keep her voice light, but it was pointless. Even though she'd become an expert at false happiness over the years in order to blend in, Sookie just couldn't do it.

Especially with Terry.

"Alright. Sam's got me filling in while you're off." That was news to Sookie, but she was glad to hear it. She hadn't once thought about who would be covering for her. "And my dog just had a litter." Whenever Terry talked about his catahoulas, his face would lighten up ever so slightly making his scars and wrinkles fade just a touch. And the sight never failed to warm her heart. "Beautiful pups." Terry stopped to shake his head a little, as if he couldn't believe how amazing they were. "You should come get one. Free of charge." For Terry Bellefluer, that was pretty much a speech, and Sookie found herself wondering if it was because of what he saw in her eyes.

"Thanks, Terry. That's real nice of you." And it was. Catahoulas didn't come cheap, and Terry could easily have made quite a bit of money selling them. And Terry, who only worked part time at Merlotte's in addition to picking up odd jobs here and there, could definitely use the boost in income.

The last time he'd offered her one, Sookie had thought about taking him up on the offer. But this time, she didn't. She was having a hard enough time taking care of herself as it was, and she didn't think she could handle looking after another living thing, at least not yet anyway. "But… I really just want to be alone right now." Sookie dropped her eyes to the cart she was clinging to. "Amelia hasn't even been around much since…"

Since holding their private memorial, Sookie had seen less and less of her roommate. The absence of her normal chatter (external _and_ internal) had been strange, but Sookie couldn't deny the fact that she loved the quiet. It had been so long since her home had truly felt like _her_ home. And as much as she loved having Amelia around, Sookie missed having the place to herself sometimes.

But as much as she wanted to be alone, when everyone was gone and the house was completely silent, Sookie found herself desperate for someone or something to be near her. Whether it was because she wanted someone close or just to feel as if someone would be there to protect her should something happen, Sookie wasn't sure. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she wanted or even what she needed, and _that_ was quite possibly the worst thing of all.

Terry merely nodded, an understanding look shaping his grizzled features. "I understand." Somehow he managed to put the weight of the world behind those two simple words, and Sookie felt the pain of them to her very core. "But sometimes, being alone is worse."

The Vietnam vet held her gaze for a few seconds before looking away. When he turned back, Sookie was surprised to see him reaching towards her. At first, she thought that he was going to hug her or maybe touch her on the shoulder, two things he'd only ever done on very rare occasions. But instead of touching her, Terry grabbed a box of strawberry mini-donuts off of the display next to her.

When he held them up to show her, Sookie didn't know if she was disappointed that he hadn't tried to physically comfort her or not. Yes, only moments ago she'd wanted to as close to him as she possibly could. But now, the thought of being _that_ close terrified her. It was a mood swing she couldn't shake, and it had been happening since the day after the war.

But either way, his words had struck her deeply.

And looking at Terry, she couldn't seem to be able to bring herself to speak. Even if she had the words or the energy to sum up how she felt, the painful lump in her throat would have prevented her from talking. Instead, she just nodded, looking anywhere but at Terry's face.

"Well, you feel better. It ain't the same at Merlotte's without you." Terry's voice was low and gravely, comforting without being patronizing. And at that moment, Sookie hoped and prayed that he would reach out and hug her.

But he didn't. Instead, Terry just nodded at Sookie significantly before turning and heading towards the meat department.

The moment he was out of sight, Sookie abandoned her cart and ran out of the sliding doors and back to the safety of her car. She barely managed to hold back the tears as she did so.

Twenty minutes later she was safely home and settled on the steps of her front porch. And even though it was just a touch too warm for a winter coat, Sookie was clutching the cranberry red jacket around her body like a security blanket with buttons.

It was a cool spring day with a light breeze whipping gently through her blonde hair. A week ago she'd have been celebrating the nice weather by sunbathing in her yard despite the chill in the air. But now, scared inside and out, Sookie didn't know when she'd lay out in the sun again. Her one true vice had lost its glorious appeal, and to make matters worse, at that moment, she just didn't care.

As she sat on the stoop, staring down the driveway that led up to her house, Sookie realized that it had gotten darker since she'd first sat down. Checking her watch, she was surprised to see that it was only 3:30 in the afternoon, not nearly late enough for the sun to be going down. She tried to think back to the morning paper and the weather forecast she'd read. But as best as she could remember, there wasn't supposed to be any rain or fog or anything that would cause the sun to go down early.

Confused by the darkness that was rapidly falling around her, Sookie looked up to the sky. There wasn't a single rain cloud in sight, but that wasn't the most surprising thing she saw. No, the thing that shocked her the most was the sight of the moon sliding in front of the sun. Another few minutes and it would be completely covered.

A total eclipse in Bon Temps, Louisiana.

As far as Sookie knew, just like the rain, an eclipse _wasn't_ in the forecast. And in a small town like Bon Temps, a total eclipse would be big, no, _huge_ news. Granted, an event such as that would be looked at as a big deal anywhere, but the small town she lived in went all out for things like that. She could even remember her grade school hosting a picnic for the entire town when there had been a meteor shower when she was twelve.

But this eclipse…

It hadn't been mentioned in the newspaper or on the radio. The national broadcasts hadn't even mentioned it.

And for some reason… it was just wrong.

And that scared her.

Before meeting Bill, she'd have thought nothing of it. But now, she'd seen too much, been through too much to think that this eclipse wasn't supernatural. She didn't know who, or what, was causing it, but Sookie knew that something very powerful was responsible.

With a heavy, unnatural darkness quickly engulfing her, Sookie's every nerve was telling her to get up, to run. To do something, anything. But she didn't, figuring that it would be pointless. Vengeful shifters and weres wouldn't be kept out by a wooden door. Nor would sadistic fairies. And as good of a witch as Amelia was, her wards weren't one hundred percent fool (or supe) proof. There would always be some loophole, some way to get into the house that was supposed to be her safe haven.

The only thing that the sanctuary of a "home" could truly protect her from was vampires. And in the daytime, that was a moot point. It didn't matter if you were safe from something when the monsters couldn't even come out to play.

Or to protect her.

Which ever the case may be.

And so she sat, unprepared to handle whatever was hiding in the coming darkness. But she saw no point in moving since there was no way to truly hide from whatever was surely coming.

After all, why run when there was no place to go and you'd already been ripped to shreds outside _and_ in?

Clutching her jacket more tightly around her body, Sookie realized that her friends and family would have viewed her decision to sit on the stoop instead of running, as her giving up, giving in. But that wasn't the case. She just didn't feel like running anymore.

It wasn't that she was unafraid. Because Sookie was scared.

Very scared.

But that time, she was going to face whatever was coming for her head on. The Big Bad would come no mater what, so why not head it off at the pass and greet it face to face for a change? And as she stared out into the coming darkness, Sookie was amazed at what a nice change of pace it was to stand her ground instead of running in fear.

As the last sliver of sun was completely swallowed by the moon, Sookie exhaled a deep breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. The sound, surprisingly loud, seemed to echo through the trees on her lawn, reminding Sookie of just how alone she really was. And just as the noise started to die off, Sookie began straining her eyes as she looked for signs of whatever was surely lurking in the dark.

It was barely half a minute after the completion of the eclipse when she felt _it_.

But the it she felt wasn't anywhere near what she'd been expecting.

"Eric." Sookie's voice was low, a whisper that was a mixture of surprise and confusion. "How…"

Before she could finish, before she could truly wrap her mind around what was happening, Eric was standing before her, dressed in an old Fangtasia t-shirt and faded jeans, his hands clasped behind his back.

Looking up into his clear blue eyes, Sookie felt better than she had in days and for once, she was thankful for the blood bond she so often cursed. And even though she was positive Eric had heard her the first time, she asked him again, this time more loudly, "How?"

With the sound of her voice hanging in the air, he looked down at her in a way that made Sookie feel as if she were being examined with an x-ray machine. It made her flesh crawl, and before she could stop herself, she looked away, choosing to study the darkness instead.

"The sun is completely covered." Eric's voice was low, solemn.

"But… it's still daytime." Despite the unease she was feeling, Sookie was curious.

"As long as the sun is completely covered, it doesn't matter. Day and night are just words." Sookie wanted to know more, but she didn't want to press. She'd learned long ago that vampires liked to keep the ins and outs of their existence a secret. And Eric was no exception. Occasionally he would offer up small bits of information, but that was rare. So she just nodded, thinking of all the possibilities that this new knowledge presented.

When Eric spoke again, Sookie was shocked to hear what was coming out of his mouth. She couldn't decide if it was because he _knew_ she was curious or because of the tension building between them, but he was actually offering up answers to the things she was just wondering. And try as she might, Sookie couldn't stop herself from looking at him.

"It's rare, but vampires can walk during the day if the sun is totally covered." Eric paused for a moment, his eyes moving to the bruising on her face. "But it's incredibly unpredictable as you can never be sure of how long the darkness will last. And because of that, most vampires ignore the call of the temporary darkness."

"But…" It didn't take Sookie long to put two and two together. "You're out. You _were_ sure." As shocked as her voice sounded, the accusation in it was far stronger. And for the third time in the space of a few minutes she asked Eric, "How?"

Before answering, Eric closed his eyes almost as if he were preparing himself for something. "Niall-"

The moment she heard the name, Sookie interrupted Eric. "Great-grandfather?"

Eric opened his eyes and pulled his right hand from behind his back. He held it up as if asking her to wait. "He wanted to give you one last gift."

"Gift?" Sookie didn't mean to interrupt, but the thought of an eclipse as a present, of day turning to night, was laughable. Her anger was evident in her voice, and she didn't try to pretend otherwise. "_This_," she jerked her head at the darkness surrounding them, "is a gift?" Sookie didn't wait for Eric to respond before continuing on. "What good is it? I get to see you for-"

"An hour." Eric's voice was low.

"An hour. Great. I get to see you for an hour before you have to run back to -"

"I'm staying at Bill's for today." Again, he sounded as if he were whispering.

Instantly, Sookie thought of her first lover teetering on the edge of death because of her. But as much as it bothered her, it wasn't enough to derail her growing anger. And even though he'd interrupted, she picked up where she left off. "Before you go back to wherever you're sleeping until night comes. And even then, I'll only seen you when you need something or what you want to-"

"Sookie." Eric's voice was harder, his temper being fueled by Sookie's. "That's not true."

"It is." Tears were burning at the back of her throat, but she worked desperately to push them back down. "You only show up when it's convenient for _you_. But you always turn up eventually. But Niall? My great-grandfather? I'll never see him again. And instead of spending one final hour with me, he sends _you_." Her words were harsh and unfair, and Sookie knew it. But she couldn't help it. She was tired of games and losing those who were closest to her. When she spoke again, her nose was stuffy and her voice shaking, pleading. "Why, Eric? Why'd he send you?"

Sookie knew she sounded desperate, but at that point, she was.

Eric didn't speak, didn't respond to a single thing she'd said. Instead, he stared at her for another few seconds before pulling his left hand from behind his back. In his grip was Gran's iron trowel, the one Sookie had used to defend herself against the evil fairies. As she eyed it, Sookie couldn't help but think that she'd never seen it looking so clean. There wasn't a drop of fairy blood, or anything else for that matter, on it. And as he held it out to her, Sookie realized that she never wanted to touch the thing again.

Instead of taking it from Eric's proffered hand, Sookie thought of all the things she'd done with it. When Eric didn't pull it back, she tore her eyes away from the shining prongs to look up at him. "What? I take it, and I'm bound to do your gardening for the rest of my life?"

For the briefest moment, Eric's jaw clenched. But as quickly as it happened, it was gone. Even without out reading his mind, Sookie knew what he'd been thinking. She could feel the sadness seeping into his emotional climate as he took her in. She'd been mean to him before and sarcasm was no stranger, but Sookie had never once been so bitter towards Eric.

Instead of answering, he set the tool down gently on the step next to her. Sookie made no move to pick it up.

When Eric still didn't offer her any answers about why he was there, she stood up and crossed to the front door. Hand on the knob, back to Eric, Sookie spoke, her voice weary. "Look, Eric, I'm tired, and I'm cold. I don't know why you're here, and you're obviously not going to tell me. So, thanks for the visit, but I'm going inside and you're not invited."

Sookie had the screen door halfway open when she heard Eric's voice behind her. "Sookie, for once, I don't know what to say." Shocked by his admission, she tuned into his emotions instead of her own. Up till then, she'd been so upset and angry that her deluge of feelings completely drowned out Eric's.

What she felt surprised her.

Eric was confused and angry. And Sookie instantly understood that the vampire was angry _because_ he was confused. What she was feeling was distinctly human and try as he might, Eric just didn't, couldn't understand what she was going through. She could have tried to explain, but even then, he wouldn't truly be able to sympathize with her.

And Sookie couldn't blame his lack of understanding just on the fact that he was a vampire or that he was a man. Sookie knew she couldn't expect him to know what she wanted when she didn't really know herself.

Right at that moment, with her hand clamped around the door handle, Sookie wanted to be alone, but she also didn't want Eric to leave.

She wanted Eric to wrap his arms around her, stroke her hair, and tell her that everything was going to be alright, but she didn't know if she could bear to be touched.

Sookie wanted everything and nothing all at once.

But most of all, she wanted to wake up from the nightmare that was her life.

If only for a moment or two.

"Lie to me." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. And as they hung in the air, Sookie felt as if the absurdity on the request was being thrown in her face.

But it was what she wanted.

What she _needed_.

"Is that really what you want from me?" Eric's voice was hard, and Sookie could feel his reluctance.

He'd never lied to her before. Not once.

"Yes." Sookie's voice was barely above a whisper, and she knew Eric could feel her desperation.

"Niall isn't gone forever." The words were forced, as if it were painful for Eric to say them. "That woman… Arlene… She isn't really a member of the Fellowship, and she wants you to baby sit tomorrow."

The lies were laughable, ridiculous, and Sookie had to stop herself from saying, "Now Eric, lie like you mean it." Her emotional state must have given her away because the next things Eric said hit the nail on the head.

"Bill is fine. The silver-" Eric stopped speaking when Sookie turned to look at him. When their eyes met, she knew he finally understood her request. The tears were burning at the back of her throat and welling up in her pale blue eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop them from falling. "Claudine is alive and well and preparing to have her baby. And she's finally been promoted to angel."

Sookie didn't want Eric to go on. She couldn't help but think that even as he lied, he was telling her the truth in some twisted way. It was like he was brining the very worst things into sharp relief and showing her the outlines of what should have been. And before she could grab a hold of herself, Sookie's legs gave out beneath her. The next thing she knew she was falling to the ground.

But instead of hitting the hard wood of her front porch, Sookie was Eric's arms, her head against his still chest and her hands balling up the front of his t-shirt. The tears that had begun moments before had turned into sobs that wracked her whole body. And as she cried for herself, her friends, and every single injustice that had ever been committed against any of them, Eric held onto her in a grip that was to tight to really be comfortable. All the while he was pressing his face into her hair and rocking her gently.

With each tear that slipped down her face and each violent sob that shook her body, Sookie mourned all of the losses she'd been forced to endure.

Gran.

Arlene's friendship.

Tray.

Claudine.

The possibility of a future with Quinn.

Everything came rushing back to her in full force, bombarding her with a million heartbreaks at one.

The pain and sorrow became so potent, so all consuming that Sookie didn't think she could bear another second of it. It felt as if a hole was being ripped in the place her soul should be, and as the hole grew bigger, Sookie couldn't help but think that she'd never be whole again.

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes  
**- I don't really know what to say about this piece, but I feel compelled to say something. For whatever reason, I came up the idea of Eric being able to come out during an eclipse. At first the eclipse was natural, but then it became supernatural when I thought of Niall and his magical abilities. I thought it was fitting given that he's the prince of the sky realms. Once that was figured out, I'd planned to only write about Eric and Sookie, but as usual, this fic took on a life of its own. I only hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did.  
- The title, and the "lie to me" concept came from a wonderful _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ episode of the very same name.  
- Quack: You are my beta and my hero. The work you put into this is astounding. That you so very much.  
- Reviews are love.


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